The Hunterdon Symphony will perform its concert, “An Arabian Night,” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at Hunterdon Central Regional High School.
In addition to works by Khachaturian and Saint-Saens, the performance will include Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade,” a symphonic suite based on the main female character and narrator of the Middle Eastern collection of stories, “One Thousand and One Nights.”
Most notably, the program will feature pieces by two Lebanese composers: “Salute” by Marcel Khalife and “Lebanese Rhapsody” by Serge El Helou. Master percussionist, Hafez Kotain, will perform as a darbuka soloist in these pieces.
Kotain is a performing artist and educator who specializes in both Arab and Latin percussion. A celebrated member of the Philadelphia arts scene, Kotain was the recipient of the 2013 Pew Fellowship in the Arts and the nominee for Everyday Genius by Da Vinci Art Alliance and I Belong Philly in 2022.
He has performed and toured prolifically, with groups and composers such as Marcel Khalife, Sting, the Philadelphia Orchestra and many more. Kotain currently runs his own corporation, Hafez Percussion Inc. He also acts as the percussion director of Arab arts and language organization, Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, and director of the Arabic percussion ensemble at The University of Pennsylvania.
Born in Venezuela, Kotain moved as a young child to Syria, where he first began to learn how to play the doumbek, or darbuka, at the age of 7. By the age of 9, he had already made his first stage performance, going on to win five consecutive national percussion competitions in Syria.
Lebanese composer and musician Serge El Helou was first introduced to Kotain at a concert hosted by Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture.
The Hunterdon Symphony’s performance of “Lebanese Rhapsody,” with Kotain as darbuka soloist, will be its symphonic debut.
Tickets are available for purchase at hunterdonmusicalarts.org, and will also be available at the door on the night of the concert (cash or checks only).
For information or to request accommodation for a disability, visit the website or contact Lea Rumbolo at (619) 216-9402.
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